Marinette is thrilled. She's spending her afternoon at the museum with Adrien, and even Manon's unexpectedly tagging along with them can't tarnish her happiness.
After all, what can go wrong for two seventeen-year-olds watching over a seven-year...
This is the longest chapter to date, so it took me a really long time to edit/rewrite and make the illustrations. Maerynn had written most of it but it was a VERY rough draft and she hadn't been able to work on it much, so there were holes and inconsistencies that needed to be addressed, as well as dialogue changes. Thank you for your patience (and for not sending any "When are you going to update?" type questions)
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They ducked behind a wall, effectively getting out of sight of the akuma, but severely impairing any chance of escape. They were at a dead end, and should Nostalgiak decide to show her frightful face in that alley, they'd be goners. Marinette cursed under her breath, wondering how her partner's infamous luck had managed to turn on her so badly. Unbeknownst to her, Adrien was actively cursing his kwami in every language he knew, wondering how he could protect Marinette from harm and rush to join his partner.
The same obsessing thought was on both of their minds: "I have no choice, I have to find a way to break these handcuffs and transform as quickly as possible. But how?"
"Maybe I can go online and look up a hardware store so I can buy a saw, or some bolt cutters. I hope the shop is open. I wonder how fast we could get there on foot...?" Adrien wondered, worry quickly growing in his gut.
"If we climb up that fire escape, maybe we could get a vantage point and attract Chat's attention so he can use his Cataclysm," Marinette considered, unaware of the blatant flaw in her plan.
Marinette took a sharp breath and said, her eyes frantically scanning the street, "I don't see Chat Noir anywhere, where could he be?!"
"I don't see Ladybug anywhere either," Adrien pouted despite himself. Beside him, he could have sworn Marinette kept stealing glances at the contents of her purse, her lips stretched into a thin, determined line. They both knew the akuma was creeping closer and closer judging by the proximity of the ruckus.
After a minute that felt like an eternity (both of them searching the skies for their respective missing partner) Marinette lifted her eyes toward him, pure resolve written all over her face. "Adrien, I need you to listen closely. You can't ever talk to anyone about what you're about to see, okay? Promise me, please."
"Mari, wait, there's something I gotta tell y-"
His question was cut short by Marinette closing her eyes, visibly steeling herself for the worst. "I'm really sorry, Adrien, but there's just no time. I trust you." She gulped, her eyes stubbornly closed, and the young man could only watch helplessly as the words he least expected from her tumbled from her lips, "Tikki, spots on!"
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